SOX2 overexpression correlates with poor prognosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective: The aim of present study was to investigate the expression of SOX2, a key transcription factor, in LSCC and to assess its prognostic significance. Methods: SOX2 expression of 161 LSCC tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry using a tissue microarray and statistically analyzed for its correlation with clinicopathological charateristics and patient outcome. In addition, SOX2 expression was also observed in 20 self-paired fresh LSCC tissues by western blot. Results: SOX2 was overexpressed in LSCC tissues as compared to the corresponding adjacent normal tissues. SOX2 expression was significantly associated with tumour T classification (p < 0.001), clinical stage (p < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.007) and recurrence (p = 0.001). Univariate analysis revealed that patients with high SOX2 expression were significantly related to overall survival (p < 0.001). Multivariate survival analysis further demonstrated that SOX2 expression was an independent prognostic factor for LSCC patients. Conclusion: SOX2 may contribute to the malignant progression of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), and present as a useful prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for LSCC patients. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.